Hezbollah Retaliates with Kiryat Shmona Shelling After Israeli Strike Kills Two in Lebanon

Hezbollah launched a series of rocket attacks on Israel from Lebanon on Saturday in response to an Israeli airstrike that reportedly killed two civilians in southern Lebanon. The ongoing exchanges of fire have been frequent since early October, escalating tensions along the border.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that their airstrike targeted two members of Hezbollah. In retaliation, Hezbollah fired multiple rockets towards Kiryat Shmona, a town in northern Israel, causing injuries to four Israeli soldiers, one seriously, although most rockets were intercepted by air defenses.

Following the rocket attacks, Israeli aircraft targeted a Hezbollah field commander near Kfar Tebnit in southern Lebanon. This led to further casualties, with Lebanon’s National News Agency reporting injuries from an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in the same region.

Further attacks from Hezbollah targeted Israeli military positions along the border throughout Saturday. A Lebanese security source noted that the initial Israeli airstrike in the Deir Mimas area tragically killed two civilians collecting water, one of whom was affiliated with Hezbollah and the other with its ally, the Amal Movement, though both were described as civilians.

Hezbollah claimed their rocket fire was a direct response to Israeli aggression against Lebanese villages and civilians. The conflict along the Lebanon-Israel border has intensified since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, which sparked a broader conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Local reports confirmed the death of two individuals, including an Amal Movement council member, as they collected water for livestock. The Amal Movement acknowledged the loss of one of its members.

The cross-border violence since October has resulted in significant casualties, with more than 500 people killed in Lebanon, including fighters and over 90 civilians, and at least 29 fatalities in Israel, mostly among soldiers. The ongoing hostilities have heightened fears of a larger conflict reminiscent of the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.